DAMAS is the ‘Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit Scheme’. It is a quality management system designed specifically for the manufacturers of custom made dental appliances.
DAMAS is the most commonly used annually inspected quality system within the dental laboratory industry that provides a framework for an effective quality management system which enables dental laboratories to prove to their clients that they are operating within the law (Medical Devices Regulations MDR).
DAMAS is more than just a quality control mechanism. It encompasses control beyond just inspection and testing and requires a structured approach to prevention of quality problems through planned activities that include reviews, monitoring and documentation.
The General Dental Council (GDC) is the UK-wide statutory regulator of around 114,000 members of the dental team.
Their primary purpose is to protect patient safety and maintain public confidence in dental services. To achieve this, they register qualified dental professionals, set standards for the dental team, investigate complaints about dental professionals' fitness to practice, and work to ensure the quality of dental education.
The Dental Laboratories Association Ltd (DLA) is a professional body for dental laboratory owners in the UK. Currently, the Association has around 1000 members, over 50 of whom are affiliates. It is estimated that members of the DLA are responsible for over 80% of the dental laboratory services in the UK. To represent effectively the interests of the members and provide a range of professional services to support and develop their businesses.
The DLA aims to:
- Inform and advise members of the latest industry developments and how they will affect their laboratory.
- Support and implement initiatives to improve standards of work and materials.
- Encourage schemes which help to improve the technical and general knowledge of all those working in the field of dental technology.
- Lobby relevant government bodies and liaise with other dental organisations to protect the interests of the industry.
- Promote the membership to the dental profession.
The British Bite Mark was launched on March 23rd 2012 and was designed to represent the dental laboratory industry in Great Britain. Wherever you see the British Bite Mark logo, you can be confident that custom made dental appliances have been manufactured on site in a British dental laboratory to your specific dental requirements. The British Bite Mark also provides patients with confidence that their dentists are using dental laboratories that have registered with all the appropriate regulators and have confirmed that they manufacture your custom made dental appliance in accordance with all legislative requirements.
What Does The British Bite Mark Prove?
If you see the British Bite Mark in the dental practice or on literature included with your custom made dental appliance, you can be confident of the following:
Your custom made dental appliance is manufactured in accordance with the Medical Devices Directive, this means it is made with ‘CE’ marked materials by a qualified dental technician and that the manufacturing dental laboratory is available for an ‘on-the-spot’ inspections from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Your custom made dental appliance has been signed as ‘fit for purpose’ by a General Dental Council registered dental technician. In Great Britain you are unable to call yourself a dental technician unless you hold a recognised qualification in dental technology and have registered with the General Dental Council.
Medicine & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. It is the executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. The MHRA is responsible for regulating medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the UK.
The agency's main role is to ensure that medicines and medical devices meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. It is involved in various activities such as assessing the safety and efficacy of new medicines and granting licenses for their use, monitoring the safety of medicines and medical devices on the market, and taking appropriate regulatory actions if safety concerns arise.
The MHRA also provides guidance and information to healthcare professionals, patients, and the public about the safe use of medicines and medical devices. It plays a crucial role in safeguarding public health and ensuring that the benefits of medicines and medical devices outweigh any potential risks.
Please note that the information provided is based on the knowledge available up until September 2021, and there may have been updates or changes to the MHRA's functions and responsibilities since then.